The hot spots are areas where fires have frequently occurred. They were identified through an analysis by CU-CitizenAccess.org of fire data from Jan. 2009 to Aug. 2014. During that time there were 267 building fires in Champaign and 145 building fires in Urbana.

Interactive Map of Building Fires

In Champaign, one such area is by the University of Illinois and is bordered by Green Street, Oak Street, Gregory Drive and Wright Street. A second is an area west of the University and is bordered by Bradley Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Kirby Avenue and Duncan Road. A third, more recent, hotspot is near Marketplace Mall.

In Urbana, one hotspot is at Flex-N-Gate Corporation Guardian West Division. The second hotspot is located along Philo Road, and the third area is around Prairie and Weaver parks.

Cooking dangers

Overall, the top identified cause of fires in both Champaign and Urbana was “cooking materials,” which reflects national trends.

In fact, cooking continues to be the leading cause of civilian fire injuries among younger people nationally.

“People age 20 to 34 have a 50 percent higher chance of being injured in a cooking fire than does the general public of all ages,” according to the National Fire Prevention Association.

Champaign Fire Marshal John Koller said alcohol consumption by students can contribute to the fires. He also said many college students are living on their own for the first time and are beginning to cook for themselves, which can contribute to the number of fires.

“Don’t come home and put a pizza in the oven after you’ve been out all night; you’re more apt to fall asleep,” said Koller.

Alcohol and cooking aren’t the only factors in play. Koller emphasized that disposing of smoking materials improperly at the campus hotspot can cause small fires, especially on apartment balconies.

Koller also pointed out that “it’s certainly not just students” making these errors. Cooking and smoking can cause fires in homes of all income levels, but income can be a factor.

Eddie Bain of the Illinois Fire Service Institute said people in lower-income neighborhoods face more fire issues, either because the newest detection systems aren’t in their homes or they can’t afford to fix problems.

He said early detection systems make can prevent damage and deaths.

Early detection systems include smoke detectors hardwired into the house. When one goes off, all others are set off – which is a feature in newer homes.

The Champaign and Urbana fire departments try to combat those issues by giving away free smoke detectors to people who need them throughout the year.

Fire officials say these early detection systems are “imperative” in newer homes because the materials used to build them are petroleum based and lightweight, making it easy for fire to spread.

Jeremy Leevey, fire prevention officer with the Urbana Fire Department, also said that older homes being remodeled can be at risk for fire. The old electrical wiring can meet new wiring in remodels, which may result in fire.

Leevey explained that the newer home systems came as a result from newer codes.

“All the codes are written because something bad has happened at some point in history,” Leevey said.

Extension cords

Extension cords are another common reason for fires.

Urbana Fire Marshal Phillip Edwards said that people think they can use extension cords connected to surge protectors, and that they will turn off if it gets too hot. But Edwards said heat can slowly build in the extension cord, gradually leading to a fire.

“It’s not a heat protector, it’s a surge protector,” said Edwards.

Edwards said he had a case where clothes were stacked on an extension cord that was pinched between a washing machine and the wall. There was not a fire, “but it got so smoky that if they had got in there 10 or 15 minutes later it may have actually caused a fire.”

Leevey said that electrical safety is the biggest issue he faces in preventing fires at the University. On campus, he sees cheap extension cords overloading outlets all the time.

Leevey explained the situation is like trying to fit a softball into a small cup. There is too much electricity trying to go into the cord.

“That’s the easiest way to start a fire,” he said.

Hoarding can make electrical problems worse. Leevey pointed out that in more houses today, “people have severe hoarding problems.”

“That’s a threat to us and the people who live there,” Leevey said.

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/13/data-reveals-fire-hotspots-champaign-and-urbana-causes-fires-vary-0/feed/0Roaches and rodent droppings among October health violationshttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/roaches-and-rodent-droppings-among-october-health-violations/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/roaches-and-rodent-droppings-among-october-health-violations/#respondWed, 12 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000Claire Everett/CU-CitizenAccess.org — Cockroaches, rodent droppings and flies were among dozens of violations that prompted health inspectors to fail four restaurants and shut down three last month.

A health inspector found “numerous flies,” rodent droppings and a live cockroach in the dry storage area of Mandarin Wok at 403 1/2 E. Green St. in Champaign during its Oct. 22 inspection. The restaurant received an adjusted score of 29 out of 100 and a yellow “reinspection required” placard.

Food establishments are scored on a 100-point scale and fail with an adjusted score below 36. Points are deducted for critical and non-critical violations. Inspectors then deduct additional points based on the number of repeat violations and the number of critical violations to get an adjusted score.

Restaurants that fail below zero or have critical violations that pose threats to consumers are immediately shut down.

Under a new system launched this year, restaurants in Champaign-Urbana are required to post a color-coded placard based on health inspection results. A red placard means the restaurant was shut down. A yellow placard means the restaurant failed its inspection but was allowed to remain open. A green placard means it passed its inspection.

Mandarin Wok was reinspected on Nov. 6 and received an adjusted score of 60 and a green “satisfactory” placard from the health district.

A health inspector also saw cockroaches throughout the kitchen of Peking Garden, 206 N. Randolph St. in Champaign – one of five critical violations the restaurant netted. It received an adjusted score of seven out of 100 and was required to post a yellow “reinspection required” placard Oct. 6. The restaurant received an adjusted score of 43 during a reinspection on Oct. 20 and was allowed to post a green “satisfactory” placard.

During a complaint-based inspection on Oct. 7 at Panchero’s Mexican Grill, 102 E. University Ave., Urbana, the health inspector discovered there was no hot water, yet food production was still going on.

The inspector issued a red “closure” notice. When she went back the next day, the restaurant had hot water, yet continued food production when its permit was still suspended. She reinstated its permit that day.

“In the future, anytime there is no hot water or lack of water at your facility, you shall cease food preparation immediately and contact this office for guidance,” stated a closure notice from Jim Roberts, environmental health director for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

A health inspector also found “excessive amounts of drain flies” on Oct. 21 at Sushi Rock, 621 E. Green St. in Champaign. In addition, the inspector found large containers of chicken, mussels, shrimp and beef at improper temperatures. The inspector gave the restaurant an adjusted score of 16 and noted six critical violations.

At its reinspection on Oct. 29, the inspector found raw sewage discharging onto the kitchen floor. The restaurant was closed immediately, but allowed to open on Oct. 30 after it received an adjusted score of 84 on its follow-up inspection, according to health department records.

Sol Azteca at 405 S. Century Blvd. in Rantoul was also closed because it did not have any hot water. During a routine inspection on Oct. 16, the health inspector issued a closure and its permit was not reinstated until Oct. 21 when repairs were made.

Food establishments outside of Champaign-Urbana are not required to post any placard based on health inspection results. The Champaign County board voted down a move to do so for a second time in October.

CU-CitizenAccess.org obtained closure notices for the three restaurants shut down in October as only reinspection reports for these facilities are available online. No failures were noted in the online system for November thus far.

Bo Bo China failed its health inspection on Oct. 22 with an adjusted score of 26 and seven critical violations, including no sanitizer in the dish machine and foods held at improper temperatures. The inspector noted an employee washed his or her hands in the sink without using soap. The restaurant was reinspected on Oct. 28 and received an adjusted score of 96.

Don Juan Cocina Mexicana & Cantina, 1106 W. University Ave., Urbana

The restaurant failed its health inspection on Oct. 24 with an adjusted score of 34 and six critical violations, including an employee’s cell phone left on the prep station counter and all hand sinks blocked by objects, such as strainers and pans. The restaurant was inspected Oct. 30 and received an adjusted score of 93.

Mandarin Wok, 403 ½ E. Green St., Champaign

The restaurant failed its health inspection on Oct. 22 with an adjusted score of 29 and four critical violations. The inspector noted there were “numerous flies” throughout the main kitchen and back prep room, and there were rodent droppings on the shelves in the dry storage area. The inspector also found a live cockroach in the dry storage room. The restaurant was reinspected on Nov. 6 and received an adjusted score of 60.

Peking Garden, 206 N. Randolph St., Champaign

The restaurant failed its health inspection on Oct. 6 with an adjusted score of seven and five critical violations including live cockroaches seen throughout the kitchen during the inspection. The dish machine was also not working correctly. The restaurant was reinspected on Oct. 20 and received an adjusted score of 43.

This story was updated on Nov. 14 to reflect new information provided by The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/roaches-and-rodent-droppings-among-october-health-violations/feed/0Central Illinois farmers rally against proposed water rulehttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/central-illinois-farmers-rally-against-proposed-water-rule/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/central-illinois-farmers-rally-against-proposed-water-rule/#respondWed, 12 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000By Robert Holly/CU-CitizenAccess.org — Thousands of agriculture groups and independent farmers – including many from Champaign and other central-Illinois counties – are using a public comment window to express concern over federally proposed water regulation.

The proposed Waters of the U.S. rule is a joint-proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers. The rule aims to clarify which bodies of water the two federal agencies can lawfully regulate. The agriculture industry has largely opposed the rule, as farmers argue it will impede on their operations through unnecessary and unclear regulation.

“It’s very concerning,” said Lin Warfel, a corn and soybean farmer from just outside Tolono. “The ambiguity of the regulations will lead to lots of problems for me as a farmer.”

The period for public comment is scheduled to end Friday.

For Warfel and others in the agriculture industry, the main sticking point on the rule is its added protection of seasonal and rain-dependent streams. Many farms – including Warfel’s – have long drainage ditches that stay dry for most of the year, but fill up and connect to rivers during heavy rains.

The proposed rule, which falls under 1972 Clean Water Act, also seeks to protect wetlands.

“Clean and safe water is important to everybody in the United States,” said Ellen Gilinsky, an EPA senior policy advisor. “A lot of people take it for granted, but without the protections under the Clean Water Act, you know, we had rivers on fire back in the ‘70s.”

With just a few days left before the public comment period ends, the proposed rule has received more than 12,000 formal comments from individuals, associations and special interest groups. The Illinois Soybean Association, the Vermilion County Farm Bureau, the Illinois Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council are just four groups that submitted comments.

“It is absolutely ridiculous to consider any puddle or amount of water that runs across a field, gold course, yard, park, ball field, as waters to be regulated as ‘Waters of the U.S.,’” wrote one Champaign County farmer.

“For the EPA to claim jurisdiction over these ditches and water ways would severely impact the decisions I make over how I farm,” wrote another.

Congressional records also show that nine U.S. senators, including new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, recently signed their names to a letter directed to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Army Secretary John McHugh and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack.

“As the Administration continues to extend the timeframe for finalization of the flawed WOTUS proposal, any further discussion of how agricultural activities may fit into this framework must allow for a transparent and public process in which the voice of American agriculture can be heard,” the letter, dated Oct. 23, stated.

The American Farm Bureau Federation sponsored a handful of mass-mail campaigns that urged farmers to submit negative comments.

“The more regulations I have to put up with, the less profit I have, the more complicated my production practices get,” said Warfel, who is harvesting his 52nd crop since taking over the roughly 2,000-acre farm established by his great-grandfather in 1882. “I’m very concerned about this new set of regulations.”

Supporters try to counter ‘misinformation’ campaign

Some of the concern coming from the agriculture industry may be misguided, according to Gilinsky, who spent the summer and parts of this fall traveling across the country talking one-on-one with producers.

“Unfortunately, while many stakeholders in the agriculture community have brought up some very valid concerns with some of the wording that we’ve used and how it could be clearer, overall, there’s a lot of misinformation out there saying that farmers are now going to need permits to plow their fields,” she said

The proposed rule, for example, does not change the special exemptions and exclusions the Clean Water Act has provided the agriculture industry throughout the past 40 years. It also does not add regulation to farm ponds, and it specifically excludes groundwater.

“It’s worth noting that the statue itself provides specific exemptions for certain agricultural operations, such as the discharge of dredge or fill from normal farming operations or irrigation return flows,” said Al Lin, a law professor at the University of California-Davis who specializes in environmental law. “These exemptions are found in the statute itself, and so cannot be changed by agency rue.”

A social media analysis shows that Twitter has played a key role in the public’s understanding of the rule. Critics have used the hashtag “#DitchTheRule” to share why they oppose the Waters of the U.S. rule. Since August, the tag has been tweeted or retweeted more than 14,000 times.

The American Farm Bureau Federation has used the tag more than any other user. The organization’s cover photo is currently a picture of a puddle in a field with the words “it’s time to ditch the rule.”

“In agriculture, we’re at a point where we want to really tell people, ‘Stop. Wait. Give us some relief, here. Back off,’” Warfel said.

To dispel some of inaccurate criticism, the EPA introduced a Twitter tag of its own, “#DitchTheMyth.”

“If we had a mere puddle, a puddle with no sort of connection to any waters of the United States, that would not be regulated,” Lin said. “I think that’s clear, and I don’t think there’s any desire to regulate that.”

Although the comment window is set to close on Nov. 14, Lin said the conversation on what the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers can – and cannot – regulate is likely to continue.

“You can imagine a legal challenge to the rule and whether it’s consistent with what the Supreme Court has done, as well as the Clean Water Act, generally,” he said. “I don’t expect that this is going to be the final word.”

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/12/central-illinois-farmers-rally-against-proposed-water-rule/feed/0Small business development lagging in Champaign Countyhttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/05/small-business-development-lagging-champaign-county/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/05/small-business-development-lagging-champaign-county/#respondWed, 05 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000Sarah Soenke/For CU-CitizenAccess.org— Champaign County small business development is still struggling under setbacks from the Great Recession and have not returned to pre-recession conditions, said a county economic development official.

Small business start-ups are still often unprepared for the amount of owner investment required by local commercial banks, said Kathy Larson, economic development specialist for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission.

“In general, our clients have been struggling due to the lingering effects of the recession,” Larson said. “They are finding it more difficult to find the amount of financial support they would like.”

Lending regulations have changed to enforce higher criteria levels and a 20 percent to 25 percent down payment from business owners. But the lack of small business growth in the county can also be attributed to fewer applications for loans.

Cameron Moore, the chief executive officer of the county planning commission, said applications for small business loans have been very low, for both the Commission’s four loan programs and the banks it frequently partners with.

He said this has contributed to the decrease in lending and drop in small business establishments across the county.

Indeed, the U.S. Census Bureau’s reports a steady decrease in the amount of Champaign County small businesses from 2007 to 2012 in their latest County Business Patterns data.

The number of small business establishments in Champaign County fell from 4,320 to 4,097, a 5.2 percent decrease, in the four years following the recession. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) definition of a small business is “an independent business with fewer than 500 employees.”

Many businesses’ loan failures and insolvencies can be attributed to a lack of experience in skills and knowledge within a particular industry, as well as a lack of personal equity to invest into the business, Moore and Larson said.

These factors combined with the financial hardships of the recession resulted in the overall decrease, especially in restaurants, hotels and other food-service start-ups.

Moore said that for three to four years after the recession began, the Commission would not even consider these type of high-risk loan applicants. He said that this year the Commission started to consider those types of businesses.

Business loan applications have started to grow since the beginning of the year, Bryan Banks, assistant vice president and relationship manager at Busey Bank, said.

“Really over the last year or so, I personally have seen a lot more requests come across my desk or I’m out talking to prospective clients. They’re looking for growth,” he said.

In addition to applicants’ initiatives, Busey Bank is also trying to contribute to the economic boost.

In 2011, the bank announced its exit from the Troubled Asset Relief Program and received $72.6 million in preferred stock from the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF). This along with its own $27.4 million investment was used to exit the fund and invest in the bank’s business lending initiatives.

“It helped us from the standpoint that we were able to lower our cost of capital and a certain percentage of our debt,” Banks said. “It assisted us in making loans (of up to $10 million) to small businesses that were $50 million in annual revenue or less. It was a great way for us to inject funds back into all of our various areas.”

The fund, along with Busey’s Preferred Lender Program (PLP) status from the SBA, has allowed the bank to provide for more small business applicants as well as respond to requests more quickly in efforts to encourage more businesses to apply.

“It enables us to give small business owners quick decisions and approvals in order to fund their lending needs within the matter of one to two weeks basically, from application to approval,” he said. “So it’s been a great opportunity for us to partner with local businesses and get them decisions on important issues as far as growth and additional funding in a very quick manner.”

Tifani Moot, a Champaign business co-owner of ten small businesses so far with Carlos and Marco Nieto, noted recent hardships and business failures since the recession, but emphasized the existing opportunities and positive upturn for future business.

Of the trio’s seven businesses before 2008 — including the Highdive, Cowboy Monkey and Seven Saints — they have also opened three new establishments over the last six years, including a family restaurant Uncle Jack’s.

“We opened Uncle Jack’s two months after the big 2008 crash. It was devastating to us. Uncle Jack’s closed within two years. That was our first real taste of failure,” Moot said. “I would like to add that in hindsight, it was not only the recession that hampered our success there. It was also our preoccupation with so many other businesses.”

Following another failure of Cabo’s, a Mexican restaurant located in southwest Champaign that close in 2013 two weeks after opening, Moot said the business trio are still looking for new ventures, specifically in downtown Champaign.

“Some projects have fallen through; however we are full steam ahead with our first project and are getting plans together for the following two,” she said.

Both Moore and Banks hope the financial resources in Champaign County are enough to encourage more business-interested owners such as Moot to seek loans and contribute to the county’s economic growth.

“Before (the recession), pretty much every year (the Commission would) loan out every penny we had available. And we’re sitting on a couple million dollars now, because people are just not borrowing money,” Moore said. “I guess they’re still nervous about the state of the economy.”

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/05/small-business-development-lagging-champaign-county/feed/0Cooking, trash spark dozens of university fireshttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/05/cooking-trash-spark-dozens-university-fires/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/11/05/cooking-trash-spark-dozens-university-fires/#respondWed, 05 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000By Robert Holly/CU-CitizenAccess.org — There were 10 university housing fires last year, most of which were caused by cooking gone wrong.

One housing fire, however, was intentionally ignited.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Campus Code Compliance and Fire Safety division detailed the fires in its Annual Fire Safety Report for 2013, which it released at the end of September. The University is required to update the public on campus security and fire safety each year under federal regulations and the Jeanne Clery Act.

Mapping Fires on Campus

Click to see an interactive map showing where the most fires occur around the campus.

“There have been tragic losses of life on college campuses in fires in campus housing,” said Craig Grant, associate director for campus code compliance and fire safety at the University. He pointed out the deadly 2010 fire at Seton Hall in New Jersey as just one example.

From 2011 through last year, there have been at least 46 fires in university housing, according to the report. Besides cooking, fires during that time were also caused by trash, a curling iron, cigarettes, a furnace and a cotton-candy machine.

Nearly all of the fires were minor and caused less than $99 in damages.

A fire that started in Blaisdell Hall in 2011 tallied more damage than any other fire in the last few years. Labeled as a grease fire, it cost somewhere between $1,000 and $9,999 in damages, according to the report.

Of the 46 housing fires listed in the report since 2011, 36 were categorized as “unintentional.” Four fires were classified as “intentional,” including one “burnt paper” fire related to door decorations in Oglesby Hall last year. Origins for the remaining fires were categorized as undetermined.

“Somebody walks down a hallway and takes a lighter out of their pocket,” Grant said. “They might not be thinking of the actual consequences of that act.”

Overall, the University oversees 14 undergraduate residence complexes, each with one to four individual buildings or halls. The University also provides two graduate residence halls and three multi-family apartment complexes.

All university-owned housing includes sprinkler systems, a move stemming from when Illinois legislature passed the Fire Sprinkler Dorm Act in 2004. Under the act, all public universities were required to install sprinkler systems in “current structures as well as newly constructed dormitories” by 2013.

“It buys you the most important thing you need in an emergency, which is time,” Grant said.

Incoming freshmen are required to live in either university housing or private-certified housing throughout their first year of school. While the University does not directly own nor manage the private housing, all private residential buildings must undergo city inspections to ensure fire-safety standards each year.

While living in university dorms and other housing, the University forbids students from using toaster ovens, George-Foreman-style grills, halogen lamps, candles, incense and flammable liquids. If found in violation of fire-safety rules, students may be fined $50 per violation. They could also lose their housing contract.

The safety report also lists that “hot tubs are not permitted.”

Beyond housing: fires found throughout university property

The Annual Fire Safety Report summarizes fires that happen in university housing, but does not detail fires that happened throughout the rest of campus. A CU-CitizenAccess.org review of the campus fire log found that there have been more than 100 fires on university property from February 2010 through July 2014.

There have been at least 79 fires on university property in Urbana and at least 26 fires on its property in Champaign.

To prevent fires on campus, the University and local fire departments have safety outreach programs to help train resident advisors, students and kitchen employees. One such program, Fire Factor, took place at the Illinois Fire Service Institute in September.

“Fire-safety awareness is provided to various groups on campus, and that includes teaching laboratory assistants, resident hall assistants, students and new employees,” said Jeremy Leevey, fire prevention officer for the Urbana Fire Department. “All the new kitchen and dining employees have to go through fire-safety awareness training.”

Fires related to trash, garbage and waste caused by far the most fires during that time, causing about two out of every five fires. Food-related fires – including fires described as being caused by stoves, “burnt bacon,” and popcorn – caused about one out of every five fires.

In July, a suspicious fire was started in a tunnel connecting the Undergraduate Library to the Main Library on campus. Another fire was started in a mailbox in the 600-block of East Green Street.

“I’m thankful to say that we’ve been very, very fortunate,” Grant said. “They’ve all basically things more related to improper disposal, things like smoking materials in trash cans or cooking.”

Bernhart, 69, has worked as a volunteer at Stevick Senior Center, 48 E. Main St. in Champaign, since moving to Champaign nine years ago to be close to his son, who was then a graduate student at the University.

Bernhart works as a receptionist at the center, sorting mail, answering the phone and greeting visitors.

“It helps me be less depressed,” said Bernhart, whose son has since moved away from Champaign.

“The people here treat me not just like any other person who walks in, but like a part of the staff, and that keeps me sane.”

Karen Bodnar is the program director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and has worked for over 20 years to help seniors like Bernhart stay active through volunteerism. RSVP is a division of Family Service, a private, non-profit organization that provides social services to people in central Illinois.

RSVP matches adults 55 and older with volunteer opportunities in Champaign, Douglas and Piatt counties at local organizations such as schools, hospitals, food pantries and libraries. Bodnar said the program has had about 500 active volunteers in the past year.

Volunteerism keeps seniors physically and mentally active and can help them stay out of nursing homes longer, Bodnar said. She also said it helps the community as a whole. Underfunded organizations, for instance, are able to maintain their services with the help of senior volunteers. Volunteers also use their talents to help others, from planting a garden at the Champaign County Nursing Home to knitting clothing for children in the Unit 4 School District.

Seniors can also help their peers by volunteering with the Stevick Food for Seniors Program, which provides groceries to low-income seniors in Champaign-Urbana, and the Family Service Senior Transportation Program, which provides rides to the grocery store and medical appointments.

“Senior volunteerism is so valuable for the community, especially with food distribution programs, whether it’s for seniors or other people of low income,” said Robbie Edwards, coordinator of the Food for Seniors Program.

In 2013, the Champaign County Meals on Wheels program delivered nearly 21,000 meals to 190 seniors, and the Senior Transportation Drivers program provided more than 6,000 rides to 369 area seniors – feats that would’ve been impossible without volunteers, said Rosanna McLain, director of the Senior Resource Center.

“Giving back to the community can be a big social, emotional and even spiritual help to seniors, and they provide a valuable service,” McLain said. “Some of our volunteer programs, like Meals on Wheels and the transportation program, rely heavily on volunteers and couldn’t operate without them.”

RSVP and Stevick Senior Center also rely on the help of volunteers for their day-to-day operation. RSVP’s offices are located inside the senior center’s building, which is owned by The News-Gazette. The senior center’s other expenses are paid for through charitable donations made to the center, said John Reed, executive vice president of the News-Gazette.

RSVP volunteers like Bernhart are crucial for maintaining and staffing the center. But, Bodnar said, the building’s location has limited attendance of events held at the center, and it lacks the funding to move elsewhere.

“We have a real problem with this location because of parking,” she said. “Parking is $0.75 an hour across the street. We lost a lot of activities when the city raised the cost of parking. We have to be very realistic in knowing that we’re not going to attract the crowds that this senior center used to.”

Still, Bodnar said, shrinking numbers at places like Stevick Senior Center may also be a positive sign that more seniors want to be volunteers in their communities instead of spending their time inside senior centers. According to a report by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), more than 10 million seniors nationwide volunteered in 2012. CNCS also reported that seniors 65 and over spend at least twice as much time volunteering than any other age group.

“At 75, 80 or even 85 years old, seniors aren’t just sitting around – they’re doing stuff,” Bodnar said. “We have a 100-year-old who’s still volunteering because she started a long time ago, and it’s kept her healthy. So, in general, we don’t have the kind of activity at senior centers that we used to.”

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/28/volunteering-helps-keep-seniors-active-and-programs-strong/feed/0Questions arise about transportation for residents of new projecthttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/27/questions-arise-about-transportation-residents-new-project/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/27/questions-arise-about-transportation-residents-new-project/#respondMon, 27 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000By Lauren Rohr/For CU-CitizenAccess.org — Future residents of a new affordable housing site in west Champaign who don’t own a car may have trouble getting around town because of limited public transportation access.

But the pink route, which runs between the Duncan and Crestridge and the Country Fair bus stops, does not run after 7 p.m. or during the weekends.

Esther Patt, director of the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union, said she worries that tenants of the new development will have trouble getting around the Champaign-Urbana area and could struggle to efficiently get to work or to the store.

“There are so many people who need this type of housing who don’t have cars,” Patt said. “It was a bad site; it was a bad place to choose.”

Ed Bland, executive director of the Housing Authority, said the Housing Authority has not been in contact with the transportation district about the services it offers that particular area.

“They already have public transportation in that area,” he said. “I have not spoken with MTD. I’m sure they’re all aware of what’s coming out here, and they can tell you what their plans are based on their schedule.”

The district does not have an immediate plan to expand the bus service to that location, Marketing Manager Jan Kijowski said. Currently, the route averages about 30 riders per day, but MTD plans to analyze and review the pink route schedule in fall 2015.

“We’ll certainly monitor it very closely and make changes as we see the need,” she said. “There is no weekend service out there right now, so that may be something we need to take a look at.”

The Providence at Thornberry site will have 160 units and will serve families with 30 percent to 60 percent area median income, said Torian Priestly, executive vice president of development for Atlanta-based The Benoit Group. For Champaign County, the median income was $45,088 annually from 2008-2012, according to the Census Bureau.

Rent will range from $865 to $1,130 for that site.

A second Providence development, Providence at Sycamore Hills, will have 92 units, and rent will cost between $685 and $937. Sycamore Hills will be located at Bradley and McKinley avenues.

The developers do take public transportation into consideration when choosing housing locations, Priestly said. Based on the higher rent at the Providence at Thornberry site, the residents at that location will likely have higher incomes, and Priestly expects most to have their own vehicles.

“As you are aware, we have two sites that both serve mixed demographics and income levels,” Priestly said in an email. “The Sycamore site … will provide transportation options for residents who may not have a car.”

Construction for both Providence sites is expected to be complete by November 2015, Priestly said, and applications will be accepted starting in December of this year.

“I’m not saying that we don’t have a plan for the future, but as of right now, we don’t have any information that we can provide related to future transportation options for that area,” Priestly said.

The timeline allows for time to assess any additional need for more public transportation to that area, Kijowski said.

“One of the things that’s very important as a public transportation provider is to serve the areas that need service,” she said. “If we were asked to modify the way the route travels through there or look at coming a different path, we would certainly consider that.”

The Housing Authority assigned 135 project-based vouchers to the Providence at Thornberry site, according to the Housing Authority’s annual report. Families who live in those units will receive subsidized rent.

“I’m not thrilled about a whole bunch (of project-based vouchers) assigned to an apartment complex where you can’t live if you don’t have a car,” Patt said.

“I’m worried (the Housing Authority) thinks it’s already fixed. They’re talking about starting to sign leases in December. I cannot look consciously for anyone (to live) there who does not have a car.“

Noting the large international population at the university, Dr. Robert Palinkas, director of the McKinley Health Center, said that if a student is experiencing Ebola symptoms, it is possible that the student will come to the health center for care.

Photo courtesy of Folake Osibodu

Osibodu, a senior in the school of Art and Design at the University of Illinois, lived in Nigeria as a small child. She said the topic of Ebola is not a significant one among her family who still lives there.

“If you were to take the whole burden of the entire county, we think we carry 50 percent of the burden of exposure,” said Palinkas during a countywide meeting of health and other officials earlier this month.

“We do understand that somebody might make their portal straight to the ER, or straight to the Public Health (District), but we think … if there is ever going to be a case, the probability is that it will be in our house, which is why we’ve been preparing for a long time,” he said.

Palinkas said he has been in discussion with Carle Hospital since the summer.

In addition to having protective gear, McKinley houses two negative pressure rooms and an additional two isolation rooms. Negative pressure rooms allow airflow into rooms but not out of rooms.

Palinkas also said that only special staff members who have experience working with infectious diseases will have “limited contact” with the patient until arrangements for a hospital transfer can be made.

Palinkas said the health center is aware that travel to affected countries may take place over the winter break, which runs from Dec. 19, 2014 to Jan. 20, 2015, could present students with a possible exposure to the disease.

“(At that time) the University will be taking in about 1,500 (international students), and a very small number of them might be from those four countries (of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria),” he said.

University official sees little risk

Bo White, assistant director of international health and safety in the international programs and studies office, said that while the University cannot prevent students from going home to visit their families over school breaks, he does not believe there is “much of a risk” of them coming back with the virus.

Many students may be here on a single-entry visa, said White, who also is director of the University’s study abroad office, and he said it is getting harder and harder to get immigration papers in those areas.”

“Obviously, if they’re going home we’re not going to prevent them from going home,” he said. “Yes, we have a large international student population, but we’re also not a major airport hub, although we use one (at O’Hare).”

The Centers for Diseases Control announced earlier this month that the Chicago airport is now one of five major U.S. airports to intensify screening procedures for the disease.

In addition, White said that the study abroad program in Sierra Leone has been suspended.

“It wasn’t necessarily that it was a reaction to Ebola, it’s the fact that the government’s reaction in those areas to Ebola has limited the resources available to us,” he said. “Whether that means that schools are closed, clinics are closed or roads are closed.”

White said that the study abroad office will continue to monitor the situation, and he hopes students are able to “get back to West Africa at some point.”

Thirty-one students hail from Nigeria — which has had 20 cases of Ebola but hasn’t seen a new case since Sept. 5, according to the CDC — which is now Ebola free.

Board of Health member Al Kurtz said that while he does not consider the community to be in an area of high risk, he believes it is especially important to pay attention to the university, as it “brings on a daily basis people from all over the world.”

“I love the University of Illinois, (but) it’s a gigantic magnet for people,” he said. “Researchers, guests, friends and relatives come from everywhere to our university.”

His comments came during the gathering earlier this month during a public health update on Champaign County’s Ebola preparation and response strategy.

Folake Osibodu, senior in the school of Art and Design at the University, was born in Chicago but lived in Nigeria from the time she was five years old until she moved back to the U.S. at age 9. She said she still has several aunts and uncles residing in Lagos, a populous city in Nigeria where “a small number of Ebola cases” were reported during the summer, according to the CDC. Her father also regularly travels there for work.

Osibodu said Ebola hasn’t been a significant topic of conversation within her immediate family, and she is not worried about the Ebola situation in Nigeria, or in the United States.

“It doesn’t seem like much of a scare in Nigeria (right now),” she said. “They’re screening it (there) and they’re screening it at U of I so hopefully someone would catch it through different lines of defense. It would ever get through to Champaign.”

In addition, she said that she does not see any reason for students to be afraid of the virus.

“I don’t think people should be scared, just be cautious,” she said. “Those ways (of transmission) are pretty obvious. Just be careful of your surroundings.”

Health officials share information

Julie Pryde, administrator for the district, led the meeting on Ebola, which took place at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District in Champaign. Approximately 60 health care professionals from Champaign and its surrounding counties were present, including McLean, Vermilion and Iroquois.

Pryde said that Ebola will be contained and eliminated in the United States, and Champaign and the surrounding areas are not in danger. But, in the unlikely event that an outbreak occurs, the health district is prepared.

“A pandemic is like a match being thrown into dry grass,” she said. “This is not like that. This is more like a little spark landing somewhere and burning (out). We will surround it, no matter where it is in the U.S., and we will take care of it.”

Pryde said she has been in talks with O’Hare and Midway airports — which will advise the district if a passenger from an affected area is arriving in Illinois — as well as hospitals and other health districts regarding Ebola prevention.

Other protocols have also been put in place. When any patient walks into a health care facility, he or she will first be asked for a recent travel history, said Pryde.

On the other hand, if a patient shows symptoms of Ebola, the patient will be transferred to one of the area’s hospitals and put under an order of isolation.

In the case of Carle Hospital, an isolation room has been reserved and a special care team will tend to the patient. Then, both the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control will be notified, and anyone who has come into close contact with the infected individual will be quarantined in their own home.

Pryde said the health district would then visit these “high-risk contacts” twice a day for 21 days in protective gear to monitor their temperatures. In the case of a single parent in isolation and children in quarantine, the district is discussing the possibility of having relatives or friends act as “foster parents” who will stay in the house, suited up in head-to-toe protective gear.

“That’s the stuff we have to think about,” Pryde said. “We can’t just leave the kids in (the quarantined home) by themselves.”

In addition to hospitals and emergency rooms, Pryde said that other health care professionals and law enforcement must also be aware that “people enter our system in an unusual way.”

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/24/university-health-center-says-its-ready-if-ebola-shows/feed/0Record yields mean lower returns for local farmershttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/17/record-yields-mean-lower-returns-local-farmers/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/17/record-yields-mean-lower-returns-local-farmers/#respondFri, 17 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000By Johnathan Hettinger/For CU-CitizenAccess.org — After making record profits from 2007-2013, farmers in Champaign County who rent their land are likely to lose money on both corn and soybeans in this year and next, said a University of Illinois economist.

Across the state, 2014 saw record highs for cash rent. In Champaign County, the average cash renter pays $253 per acre.

Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org

University of Illinois agricultural and consumer economics professor Gary Schnitkey poses for a photo on Oct. 17, 2014. Schnitkey projects the profit for landowners to be $245 per acre, meaning cash renters would lose an average of $8 per acre.

University of Illinois agricultural and consumer economics professor Gary Schnitkey projects the profit for landowners to be $245 per acre, meaning cash renters would lose an average of $8 per acre.

Cash-renters, or farmers who pay a certain rate per acre to rent the land they farm, make up around 40 percent of Champaign County farmers.

“We just saw the 2008, ‘09, ’10 through ’13 period where it’s just phenomenally good returns,” Schnitkey said. “Cash rents went up to get to that point. Now, we’re just looking for year-to-year, we’re seeing revenues come down a couple hundred bucks (per acre).”

Cash rent will likely decrease for the first time since the 1980s, but, for many farmers, lower cash rent won’t match the lower returns.

Further, he said, an anticipated record corn crop has driven the price of corn below $3 for the first time since 2006.

A strong soybean crop, coupled with the low corn prices, also has driven the price of soybeans to below $9 for the first time since 2007. And area farmers expect to see a decrease in revenue as a result.

After corn revenue skyrocketed in 2011 and 2012, profits decreased greatly in 2013, and Schnitkey projects farmers will see losses in both 2014 and 2015.

“We’re moving from a very profitable period to a less profitable period,” Schnitkey said. “It’s kind of hard to see when it’s going to stop.”

In his research, Schnitkey projected that cash-rent prices will decrease between 9 and 14 percent in 2015. He said that he wasn’t comfortable projecting revenues past 2015 because there are too many variables.

Bev Ehler, a farmer near Thomasboro, both owns land and cash rents more land to farm. Ehler said she is anticipating at least a three-year downturn, and many farmers are beginning to react. Non-land costs are projected to decrease, as farmers will be less willing to buy new equipment or use as much fertilizer on their fields.

Ehler also owns a trucking business and fertilizer business, which she said will help her weather the downturn.

“There’s always going to be grain to move,” Ehler said.

She added that people who plant corn will need to fertilize their land, even if it is less so than in profitable years.

With corn prices staying low, the research of Darrel Goode, Schnitkey’s colleague at the University of Illinois, projects that it will be more profitable for farmers to plant soybeans rather than corn next year, but, with a 50-50 crop rotation, many farmers don’t have that option.

“You can plant corn on corn,” Ehler said. “But beans on beans just doesn’t work. It just doesn’t work.”

Schnitkey said he thinks more farmers will plant soybeans because it’s both less expensive and likely more profitable, but his research shows farmers will still lose money on soybeans.

The Federal Reserve in Chicago also said in September that farmers will likely explore extra storage for crops, so they are able to wait and sell their crops in a few months when prices are projected to be somewhat higher.

Schnitkey said the lower revenues will have an effect on the entire agriculture industry.

“The big thing that’s going to be coming up this year is we’re going to see reductions in revenue, so farmers worry that they’re going to have to cut cost and cut cash flows,” he said. “We’ve already seen reductions in machinery and equipment purchases. Now, we’ll begin to see seed fertilizer cost go down, and cash rent is going down.”

]]>https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/17/record-yields-mean-lower-returns-local-farmers/feed/0Feeding the world proves to be a growing challengehttps://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/03/feeding-world-proves-be-growing-challenge/
https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/2014/10/03/feeding-world-proves-be-growing-challenge/#respondFri, 03 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000By Claire Everett/CU-CitizenAccess.org — More than 300 researchers from around the world gathered at the University of Illinois this week for a major conference on how to feed a global population that is expected to rise to 9 billion people by 2050.

Organized by The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment at the University, the conference kicked off at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center with a welcome speech by New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin. The conference was held Tuesday through Thursday at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The problem of feeding the world is bigger than just providing enough food, Revkin said.

It also includes issues such as waste, ethics and diversity in the food system.

“Remember, food isn’t just about growing more food,” he said. “It’s about fewer mouths, mouths that get adequate nutrition but not too much—It’s all that interface.”

Over consumption can be a problem too, Revkin said.

Researchers refer to the idea of feeding the maximum population as “peak food,” analyzing the concept using the 2050 benchmark.

“Peak food is kind of a question mark after that,” said Revkin, who writes in the New York Times’ Dot Earth blog. “Obviously, it really is a question – it’s how do we limit harm to the environment and ourselves.”

Revkin also said that “diseases of affluence roughly take away as many life years as diseases of poverty.”